Timelines Merging
by i need sleep
Summary: Ganondorf has taken over. Link is asleep. Impa asks for help from the goddesses and gets sent into future Hyrule with Zelda, who she must raise as her daughter. Eventual Zelink, but mostly Impa and Zelda.


**Timelines Merging**

**By: **i need sleep

**Chapter 1**

Impa was concerned. Her ward, the young princess Zelda, had been having strange dreams lately, most of which have been keeping her awake or restless. Come morning, she is tired, as if she wasn't sent to sleep at all. Also, with the morning come the stories, all of which centred on their guest from the valley – the Gerudo king, Ganondorf. Her dreams have a recurring theme and topic, but Impa brushed it off as some sort of fantasy. Zelda is an only child and was usually stuck inside the castle walls, never allowed out. She certainly did not have a normal childhood – all of her servants, including Impa herself, were old women; they were too old to play tea party with the poor child, and she was too busy with her studies about the history of Hyrule and table etiquette to even play with her numerous dolls. Impa had ignored the stories – maybe it was just how she treated things that she had never seen before. Ganondorf had been the first Gerudo Zelda had seen – the people of the desert rarely visit Hyrule's Castle Town due to the distance – and he does have such an intimidating face and build. Sad as this sounds, the old Sheikah thought of the stories as a way to get attention from her ever busy father.

She was proven wrong, however, when the young boy in green arrived into the palace garden. Zelda had, days before, described the same Kokiri boy to her. He was the hero who was going to save Hyrule from Ganondorf's evil. A seed of doubt was planted in Impa's head. Maybe her ward's stories were truth, and were actually prophecies from the Goddesses of Hyrule. As a Sheikah, it was her duty to protect the Royal Family and its treasures. She was trained to be ready to die for any member of the Hylian Royal Family. She had taken care of Zelda when her mother died, and even if she wasn't a Sheikah, but a mere caretaker, she would still be willing to give her life for the child.

If what Zelda had said was true, she was willing, hard as it was, to place her trust in the young Kokiri boy. It seems the young princess had done just that; she had trusted him even before they met. And though Impa knew that Zelda was still young and naïve and would, most likely, still believe in Hylian tales of fae romance and heroes in white steeds, she was a wise child for her age (spending most of her time with old teachers must've done that), so she, herself, was willing to place her trust in the young royal.

The fateful day came, and Impa wondered why she even questioned the princess' prophecies.

Ganondorf had killed Zelda's father, the King, and had taken his place. Barely escaping, Impa took the young, mourning princess away from the palace and into her home town of Kakariko. She prayed to the goddesses while Zelda slept. Her prayers were answered, and the Shiekah – whose kind prides in not showing emotion – almost cried in relief. She worried immensely for the princess' safety and hoped that, since the Goddesses granted Zelda the gift of prophecy, they would be able to help her keep the child safe.

"Impa of the Sheikah," a voice spoke, and Impa cowered in awe. "We are here to grant your prayer."

Another voice spoke, "Look up, child of the Shadow," the voice said, and Impa followed, looking up into the soft light. "Impa of the Sheikah, we want you to protect the young bearer of Wisdom."

"Wi-wisdom?" She asked, "Do you mean…?"

"Yes," a new voice entered. "Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, is the bearer of the holy triforce of Wisdom."

"Impa of the Sheikah," the second voice called, "it is your duty to protect the Princess of Destiny. Her triforce is yet to be awakened – she is still too young to wield its power. Ganondorf, the Gerudo king, bears, in him, the triforce of Power. At this moment, he is leading a mad hunt to find your ward."

Shocked, Impa bowed again, "Goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore, pray tell me what I must do to keep her safe! If the Gerudo king manages to take her piece of the triforce, the Bearer of Courage is doomed to die!"

"Child of the Sheikah, caretaker of the last of the Royal Family of Hyrule," a voice called, "with our power, we will send you to the Hyrule of the future, where good triumphed over evil and reigned supreme.

"As we speak, the Hero of Time is in deep slumber and will be for seven years. He will wake once he is able to wield the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane. Until then, you and the Princess of Destiny will hide in Hyrule years into the future."

"We plan on temporarily sealing Zelda's memories," one of the voices spoke, "It will make the hiding easier. Whilst we will erase the princess' memory, we will retain yours, Impa, for you shall guide the princess through the seven years of wait."

"We will send the hero to you and Zelda once he wakens. He will need yours and the princess' help to succeed in ridding the world of the evil Ganondorf."

Impa felt drowsy in a flash. She slumped and slowly, her eyes drifted close. "Find the Linebecks, Impa," the voice softly called out to her, "keep the princess safe."

"Until then," she strained her ears to hear the end of the sentence, "Sage of Shadow."

* * *

><p>Impa awoke to the sound of voices. Immediately, she sat up, ignoring the rush of blood to her head. Reaching into her pocket for her weapons, she was surprised to find none. "What.."<p>

"Ah!" A strange man spoke, watching her intently from the door. Eyeing the man suspiciously, she was astounded at how comfortably soft the bed is. "I see you're awake! I trust the goddesses had told you about me?" He chuckled, and reached out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Gritnel Linebeck. Your 'brother'."

The trained Sheikah watched the man cautiously. She took note of his greying hair and brown eyes, as well as his tall, lanky build. His skin was very lightly tanned and his cheekbones were sharp. She could see the many lines that lined his eyes and estimated his age to be around the same as hers. _Linebeck? Brother?_ Impa's eyebrow rose, then lowered again to a frown, "Where is the princess?"

He smiled and lowered his hand. "The princess is safe in the next room, Impa of the Sheikah. She is with my wife at the moment, and I assure you, she is fine."

"I wish to see Zelda," the gray haired woman stubbornly said. "I shall see if what you speak is truth."

He chuckled again, and Impa wondered if the man was ever less than unhappy. "Of course," he walked towards the door and looked over his shoulder to her, gesturing her to follow. "Come along, I'll take you to the princess' room." Shaking his head, he walked forward. "I'm starting to sound ancient."

"I beg your pardon?"

He stopped and looked around, spotting a window at the end of the corridor, not far from Zelda's room. Pointing to the window with his thumb, he said, "Go on, look out the window."

Reluctantly, Impa followed the command and gasped. Boxes moved smoothly and quickly and people wore bright clothes that reminded her of peasant's wear. "Where am I?"

"You're in Castle Town, Hyrule," Gritnel shrugged, then a grin blossomed on his face. "Welcome to the future, Impa Sheik."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>And that's a wrap for Chapter 1 of _Timelines Merging_! I sincerely hope I get to finish this story, because I have a bad habit of not finishing stories because I get bored with them. I have the outline for this - I still have a couple of kinks to sort out, but I shall tackle them when the time comes - and I have a couple of chapters written up under my wing. I will try to put up an updating schedule, but I'm bad at following schedules. We shall see. Thoughts?

Thank you for reading!


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